DEFINITIONS
A person who has spent (or is spending) a significant portion of their development years in a culture or cultures other than their parent’s home culture(s) is termed a Third Culture Kid (TCK). The experience of living overseas during childhood has some major distinctions from what their parents experience as adults moving cross culturally.
Definition of TCK from Pollock, David C., and Ruth E. van Reken. Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds. Brealey Publishing, Nicholas, 2009.
ATCK: Adult Third Culture Kid
An Adult Third Culture Kid is someone who grew up as a TCK. Growing up overseas, knowing that someday, when or before you graduate, you will be returning to your passport country*, affects how you develop and adjust to your surroundings. These differences don’t just go away because you are now an adult.
*Passport country – the country or countries that are identified by your passport, not necessarily your current location or where you might call home.
Globally Mobile Families
Globally Mobile Families are the spouses and children of those who have or are moving overseas. They are also known as expat* families in their adopted country. Traveling and adjusting to a new culture away from the familiar poses its own set of unique challenges that are not typically faced when moving to a different neighborhood.
*Expat – short for expatriate; a person living outside their native country.